2 things that I consistently find myself thinking about thanks to Robert Fulghum...one- instead of nuclear weaponry, what would happen if we just bombed the world with crayolas...the kind in the 64 pack with the sharpener built in the box, the fancy kind. So ok splurge on the bigger box but the core of the concept remains the same- bomb the world with beauty. Mr. Fulghum knew has it right when he wrote about this, most likely sitting on his houseboat in Seattle I might add...this beauty bomb. I still like the smell of crayons...almost as much as I like the smell of library books (a whole other topic). The new ones, old ones, a Tupperware container filled with half peeled colored wax- all perfect mediums to creativity, to expressionism, to beauty, to imagination.
Its childhood that is the secret. Things are simple, simple is good. Simple is easy, simple makes sense, simple we can handle, simple doesn't overwhelm us, simple doesn't give us anxiety, it doesn't give us a risk factor (well maybe sometimes), simple doesn't make us fear (nearly as much). Simple is good.
Here is where I transition to my absolute favorite college professor. He was simple. One of those professors who would walk around campus with his head down staring at the sidewalk for loose change. His name was Burt Stout, and if you forgot he would just tell you to remember he's B.S.. I took I believe every class he offered years at that time- which was mainly art history related. Every day, like clockwork, we would come into his classroom, everyone happy to be there, and take a seat. On the board would be one single word written. He would come in a few seconds late, like clockwork and make some comment about "Da Bears" football, and then get to talking. That is what Burt Stout did, he just talked. In the beginning it seemed like a bunch of rambling...he would take that word that was on the board and explain to us the etymology of it- its origin, Latin or Greek the adaptation of it throughout cultures and throughout time, the stories that pertained to it, everything you could ever imagine- all about one single simple word. I specifically remember talking to someone about the class and saying, "He seriously talks about the etymology of the word the entire class I have absolutely no idea where we are in the book or what the heck he is talking about most of the time." Half way through the semester arrives and its exam time, I remember thinking- I don't even know what material we are taking a test on, it was kind of funny- and all of us in the class were in the same boat with that one. B.S. would smile and say don't worry, you'll be fine. Skip to exam time, and a written one at that...and B.S. would say "go" with a smile and sometimes a laugh, and we would just write. Because that was exactly our instructions, he would give us a list of interesting topics that sort-of had to do with Greek and roman history, and tell us to write down everything we know about it. He didn't care about exact spelling, about paragraph format, or even if it had a period, just pour out or minds, our perspectives, and our opinions on paper. We would be given a heads up as to when to end our thoughts on that and when to begin another. That is how every single exam went. I strongly believe we all received perfect scores.
The meaning behind this story, is that we already have the tools we need in life, we learn most everything important in childhood, and we know more than we think and give our selves credit for.
Grab a box of crayolas, see what happens...
Oh and the other thing I can not stop thinking about, is spiders. Do not kill spiders, aside from the fact that they are amazing (I wrote about this in an earlier blog), you don't want their entire family coming after you.
